Council Minutes - Section D: Notices of Motion

Notice of Motion - Councillor Harwood (Mayor)

Central Administrative Office Project Advisory Committee Member Appointment

At the Council Meeting on 24 April 2018, Council:

Agrees in principal to the consolidation of its administrative functions to one location within the Greater Geelong area;
Affirms support for the expansion of the Geelong Gallery to all or part of the existing Geelong Town Hall subject to the Central Administrative Office Project proceeding;
Creates a Project Advisory Committee and approves the terms of reference (Attachment 2);
Nominates six Councillors to be on the Project Advisory Committee;
The Project Advisory Committee be asked to report to Council at a July 2018 Council meeting on:

Scope of the Project;
Preferred siting and funding options;
Opportunities for the Project to be a catalyst for further CBD revitalisation projects (e.g. additional development in the Civic Precinct, the Convention Centre precinct or incorporating a Government services hub);
Preferred future arrangements for civic and ceremonial functions;
Expansion of the Geelong Gallery to part or all of the existing Geelong Town Hall; and
Opportunities to attract State and Federal Government funding for the project.

Identify the Project in the 2018/19-2021/22 Strategic Resource Plan.

Post the April 24 Meeting, Mayor Bruce Harwood called for expressions of interest from all Councillors to be involved in the Project Advisory Committee. Eight Councillors have indicated they can commit to the significant additional time required to ensure the successful delivery of the committee and project.

Given the breadth and scale of the work the committee is to complete, it is felt that the additional Councillors and the experience they bring will be a positive for the committee and project.

Councillor Harwood moved, Councillor Sullivan seconded -

That Council:

Appoint eight Councillors to the Central Administrative Office Project Advisory Committee;
Appoint the following Councillors to the committee:

Councillor Bruce Harwood (Mayor) Councillor Jim Mason

Councillor Peter Murrihy (Deputy Mayor) Councillor Pat Murnane

Councillor Anthony Aitken Councillor Ron Nelson

Councillor Kylie Grzybek Councillor Trent Sullivan
Notes the Mayor’s delegation under S11E (1)(b) of the City of Greater Geelong Act 1993, to appoint a Councillor as the chair to the committee and that Councillor Bruce Harwood to be appointed as said Chair.
Notes the existing Terms of Reference adopted at the Council meeting on 24 April 2018 allow for eight Councillors to be appointed.

Carried.

Notice of Motion – Councillor Harwood

Central Administrative Office Project Advisory Committee - Consolidation of Council Administrative Offices to Central Geelong location

In 2001, Council commenced discussions about potentially moving out of the current City Hall administration offices to a specifically designed building within Central Geelong. This was in recognition of Council offices being spread over a number of sites within Central Geelong and the associated costs of rent and leases on these premises. There was also the consideration of the inefficiencies and effectiveness of Council operations as a result of the fractured work environment having a detrimental effect on Council.

This led to the Council of the day commencing discussions about options that could be considered in relation to a long term solution. The solution to include a location within the existing proximity of the current City Hall premises, the aligning of all Central Geelong operations into the one building and potential community activity in and around such new infrastructure.

The discussion has continued for many years to a point where in 2007 Council purchased a land at 137 Mercer Street with the specific intent that this was a more than appropriate site for Council to build a designated civic accommodation. There was much excitement from within Council and also the Geelong Gallery, as this now represented a genuine opportunity for the Geelong Gallery to realise a long held aspiration of moving into the City Hall precinct, thus achieving a much needed extension of their premises.

In the ensuing years further reports were commissioned with the most recent in 2017. All reports strongly advocate for the Council to consolidate the business servicing the community into one building with the preferable site being 137 Mercer Street, Geelong. The value of this land in 2018 is approximately $13M.

The current net rent paid for commercial premises for Council offices is now $2.5M annually with an expectation that this will rise if additional floor space is required in 2019. In addition to the financial penalties currently being experienced there is also the intangible costs of the loss of a single customer focus with duplicated service “shop fronts” for separate functions, reduced workplace amenity and culture, employee time costs moving between offices and duplicated I.T infrastructure. Consultant reports have suggested this additional cost is in excess of $1m per annum.

In 2018 Council has formed a Central Administrative Office Project Advisory Committee to further investigate the potential of developing a civic accommodation facility that meets the needs of the community and Council today.

One of the first orders of business for the Committee is to determine the desired location of the civic accommodation building. At the Council Meeting on 24 April 2018, Council agreed in principal to the consolidation of its administrative functions to one location within the Greater Geelong area.

This Notice of Motion’s intention is for the Central Administrative Office Project Advisory Committee to note the work undertaken by various Councils over the years and narrow the scope of the site selection to be within Central Geelong and to note the two previously identified Council owned sites as 137 Mercer Street and 21 Gheringhap Street Geelong (Civic Centre Car Park site).

These two sites have initially been deemed to be the most appropriate sites to consider as they meet the desired criteria of being within Central Geelong and close to City Hall, the current site of the City of Greater Geelong. In 2017 a site analysis identified 137 Mercer Street as the preferred site.

It is acknowledged that there is significant work to be done by the Committee to fully analyse both sites.

By narrowing the focus of the Committee to a Central Geelong location it will give surety to the organisation that we are determined to pursue this project for the overall benefit of the community including the critical Arts and Culture precinct housing the Geelong Gallery. The intent is for any such movement and consolidation of Council services to also become a further catalyst to greater development opportunities engaging the Revitalisation of Central Geelong strategy.

Councillor Harwood moved, Councillor Nelson seconded -